Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has called for joint efforts to fight religious extremism around the world.
Addressing the Fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana on June 10, Nazarbaev said “extremism cannot be justified by Islamic values.”
He also called for an end to “all military conflicts,” saying that “forceful methods for solving any political contradictions should be decisively rejected."
Nazarbaev created the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in 2003 to boost Kazakhstan's image as a modern and tolerant state. It brings together political and religious leaders as well as academics from around the world.
This year, the two-day event is to be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNESCO Secretary-General Irina Bokova, OSCE Secretary-General Lamberto Zannier, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
